1,000 New Blankets, Coats Collected In Parsippany's Winter Project

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Another very successful "Winter Clothing Drive" was held by the Parsippany Rotary, raising both blankets and coats for donation to homeless shelters and other neighborhood organizations.

Mayor James Barberio commended the club for their continued efforts within the community during a rotary event last week along with other members of the Parsippany council.

Over 1,000 brand-new blankets and 100 winter coats were collected through the donation drive and given to those in need. The collection effort lasted for a month and started at the end of January, officials said.

The rotary also gathered scarves, hats, socks and mittens in addition to blankets and coats, which will also be given to people in need.

"Seeing all these organizations such as TFASNJ, the Gandhian Society, NRIVA, Vasavi Society, OM Sri Sai Balaji Temple and numerous private donations coming together to provide a much-needed commodity by so many who are struggling at this time is inspirational and the exemplification of service above self," Barberio said.

The Parsippany-Troy Hills Rotary Club was first founded in 1955. For over 60 years, the club has been a positive force in the community, providing funding for scholarships to graduating seniors from both Parsippany high schools as well as assistance to many other community-benefiting programs.

"The hard work of countless volunteers, led by Rotary International of Parsippany President Santosh Peddi is what makes Parsippany such a great place to live and work," Barberio said.

On the night of Jan. 28, a total of 243 households, including 354 persons, were experiencing homelessness in Morris County, according to the 2020 Point-In-Time Count. A total of 51 persons were identified as chronically homeless. 29 persons were unsheltered on the night of the count.

Monarch Housing Associates, a local non-profit, recently released its 2022 Point-In-Time Count of the Homeless report, which includes data collected by county staff, government officials and local nonprofit organizations that surveyed people staying outdoors in late January.

According to the 2022 Point-In-Time Count, there were 6,631 households, including 8,754 people, experiencing homelessness in the state of New Jersey on the night of January 25, 2022.

The report shows that Morris County had a total of 351 homeless people as of January, which represents four percent of the state's unhoused population.